Casino of Passion
by Kandros Fir
Summary: Seven years ago Jellal and Erza dated before she disappeared on him. Now Jellal is a professional gambler in Paris and he meets Erza, now married to Simon on their honeymoon, in a casino he works at. Fortune has once again proven that Jellal is her favorite son, now it is up to him to make use of the chance his mother has given him even if it is morally questionable.
1. The meeting

Jellal wondered, as he saw yet another, idiotic couple of newlyweds step into the casino, why people would choose to come to the casino Cercle Gaillon in Paris when there were much better places to spend one's honeymoon, especially in the city of love. However, Jellal could not complain as it was these people who made him the most money, gambling against. The men, elated with joy and believing themselves foolishly invulnerable, without the skills to back it up, would play him in a game of poker and watch in horror as their savings were destroyed.

Jellal moved closer to this couple as he prepared another insincere congratulation on a happy marriage before inviting the sheep to stick their heads in the mouth of the wolf. But for some reason, Jellal felt like he knew the red head at the side of the brown haired broad shouldered muscular man. He was about to dismiss it as every redhead looking like Erza Scarlet, his once girlfriend who disappeared on him seven years ago, when he caught the tattoo on the redhead's left arm.

It was Erza, Jellal realized, and the universe began to spin and the stars aligned. Jellal wanted to slink away, to run with his tail tucked in between his legs, but then, an idea struck him. It was a stupid reckless idea with many ways to go wrong; a high risk, high reward scheme to get Era back and receive an answer for seven years of loneliness. But the lady of fortune had once again proven that he was her favored son, now it was his turn to capitalize on his mother's gift, minor details like ethics and moralty be damned. The him from seven years ago would not have been able to pull this off, but he was different now.

"Bonjour, madam and monsieur, it is always a happy occasion to find a couple as happy as yourselves. Would you care for a game of cards?" Jellal said to them.

The couple turned to him warily as the man asked him, "Who are you?"

"My name is Jellal, a resident of this fine city and a well wisher to happy newlyweds everywhere. Now who might you two be?" Jellal told them.

"My name is Erza Mikazuchi and this is my husband Simon," Erza replied. Jellal was unprepared to deal with how much it hurt to hear a different last name come from her lips and to hear her acknowledge someone other than him as a husband.

Simon and Erza spoke in hushed tones seeming to disagree over his proposition, before Simon asked him, "How often do you play?"

"I do not play often, perhaps once a month to test my luck," Jellal lied through his teeth. He was a frequent patron to this place.

This seemed to placate the couple though and the man asked, "What are the stakes and what are we playing?"

Jellal named an obscenely large figure for a game of poker.

"No, absolutely not," yelled Erza.

"Relax madam; you have every advantage on your side. You are newlyweds on a honeymoon, such a special occasion must be very lucky, and I am sure we are all inexperienced gamblers here," then Jellal turned to Simon and made his case to him, "besides, winning all that money, won't that be a good way to show your manly side monsieur?"

"If our odds are so good, then why are you challenging us?" the woman challenged him.

"Consider this an act of altruism from a very rich young man," Jellal replied.

At first it seemed like Erza's sensibility would prevent Simon from playing when the man looked Jellal straight in the eye and said, "Yes I'll play you."

Jellal could tell from the way Simon looked at him and the way he spoke he was trying to prove something to Erza, or himself, to reinforce some idea of manhood that he did not have.

So there is trouble in paradise, Jellal thought to himself, how interesting. He filed away that fact for possible future use.

One poker game later, the couple was weeping as Jellal had soundly beat them.

"Our life insurance, the mortgage for the house, the electricity bills, the baby's health fund…" Erza droned on listlessly as she listed what the couple had lost.

"Obviously there is some mistake here, no?" Jellal said, "So here goes, why not play for double or nothing?"

"But we don't have anything left to gamble," the man cried.

Jellal turned his head and nodded at Erza.

Erza seeming to realize what he meant yelled, "No, I am not some kind of slave to be passed from man to man, I am a free woman."

"Yeah…" Simon began to support her.

"You stay out of this Simon. You know I don't approve of gambling, but I came here anyways because you promised me that you would only spend a small amount at the gambling tables, not everything we had in one game!" Era interrupted, on the verge of becoming the first person to blow out her voice box. The dealer for their game and the rest of the casino watched this confrontation with interest for a minute before turning their attention elsewhere. Such scenes of marital strife were, after all, not that uncommon after a lost game.

Then she turned to Jellal, her eyes narrowed and slitted like a cats. "And you, I don't know what you think, but I am not some kind of whore, who will go from man to man…"

Jellal widened his eyes in horror. How could Erza believe that he'd ever think that way, especially about her. But he reminded himself that he had changed since he last saw her, he was no longer Gerard Fernandez, that geeky boy with glasses who had asked her out stuttering and nervous. He was now Jellal, smooth and suave rogue with a French accent. His glasses were long gone thanks to the miracles of laser eye surgery. "No madam, you misunderstand me. I would never suggest something so vulgar; I only meant that you would accompany me as my Lady Fortune, until I earn again the money your husband has lost to me."

She kept her gaze trained on him for a moment, then nodded her head and asked, "Okay, then when do I start?"

"Erza…" Simon protested, but Erza turned and glared at him.

"We shall have a talk when I come back, on responsible spending habits."

"Let me take this double or nothing bet Erza, I know I can win this. Then you won't have to work for that jackass."

"If anyone is the jackass here, it's you Simon. If you play again you are sure to lose. Didn't you notice how experienced this man is just from one game?"

Jellal counted out the chips he won from Simon, then turned to Era and said, "Do I have your word that if I give your husband back the money, you will uphold your end of the deal and stay with me?"

"Yes," she said, "Even if he gets the money back, I am too angry to see him right now."

Jellal then handed the money back to a stone faced Simon and said, "Go cash these back in at the counter."

Jellal could not help but smile a little bit at the pained expression Simon showed as he walked off with Erza.

On the outside Jellal was as cool as ice, but on the inside he was squealing with joy. Even if he didn't detract losses from the total, a typical game of poker won him only fifty dollars. It would take thousands of poker games before Era's end of the deal was done. That meant he would have her all to himself for a long, long time.

A/N: This is dedicated to my friend RukoYukine who is on a trip to France, yay! Not sure how she'd feel about the whole casino setting however, but I'll assume she can ignore the whole this takes place in a hotbed of vice thing. And before you yell at me, Simon will not be the bad guy of this story. No I have something different planned. And boy did I do a lot of research for this. I learned more about poker and casinos researching for this then I am ever going to need to know.


	2. the first night

"Don't look so ashamed to be seen with me Mon chérie," Jellal said to a nervous Erza. She was ducking her head and trying desperately to avoid the eyes of passer byes.

"I won't be seen as one of those loose women who go out with men like you."

"What, you mean silver tongued and devilishly handsome?"

"No, arrogant and morally bankrupt."

"Be careful of what you say, Mon chérie, for if I was truly as bad as you say, I would kiss you right here," Jellal leaned closer to Erza almost touching her lips, "and I think you would actually enjoy it," he finished with his breath tickling her lips. He lifted his face away from hers satisfied to see that her face was as red as her hair. His own heart was beating like a drum at an Iron Maiden concert. No matter how he mentally prepared himself he could not prevent the stirring of passion that the closeness of Era brought, the one fact that had not changed since seven years ago.

"I suppose," she conceded breathlessly, "that you are not as bad as I am making you out to be."

Jellal smiled as found another thing about Erza that had not changed her tendency to acknowledge when she was being unfair to somebody. It had been the trait he most loved about her.

"I hope that by the end of your stay, you will find me more than bearable, and indeed, perhaps a true friend."

Erza then asked him, "What I don't understand though, is why you chose me. You must have thousands of women who would be willing to play my part."

"Mon chérie, you are the first woman to stand at my side as my lady luck."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It is not so much a matter of willing participants, as that most of the women I meet would rather take my money than make me money."

This made Erza laugh and Jellal felt himself floored by the sound, a deep throated seductive laugh that made him feel like a horny teenager again. Calm yourself, he thought, or else you'll scare her away.

He managed to lead Erza to the last stop of the night during their conversation. It was at the very back of the casino, far away from the blinding strobe lights and extravaganza half hidden by the shadows in the corner. It was a plain wooden door that read **Manager's Office: Ultear. **

Jellal knocked on the door and a beautiful violet haired woman came out wearing a revealing scarlet dress.

"Hello Jellal," she said, "are you done with gambling for the night?"

"Yes, Ultear, and before you ask, here are the five hundred dollars I started out with, and here are the ten percent of my winnings."

"Only thirty dollars? But I see fifty thousand dollars of chips in your hand?"

"I decided to bring extra cash along because I had a feeling I would need it. And indeed it helped me win the greatest prize of all."

The violet hair woman accepted the chips than noticed Erza and leaned closer to her to ask, "Who is this beauty?"

Erza then got annoyed and snapped at the woman, "I am Erza."

She had been marginalized the entire night and she would have her voice heard.

"Ooh, you're a feisty one, I like you. You'll help keep Jellal's ego in check."

That was when Erza realized that there was something strange between those two and she wondered if that woman was Jellal's girlfriend. Probably not considering how Ultear did not seem to be jealous but something was there. After a bit of small talk and chatter Jellal left the casino with Erza in tow.

"What was all of that about," asked Erza who did not have a clue. She had been thrust into a strange new world whose rules were alien to her.

"That was mon caïd Ultear. You see, this casino is the only one in the world that does not charge a rake, a kind of tax on the pot which is the only way that casinos make money off of poker. Instead what this one does is hire card sharks. We are professionals who have above average skills with poker. The casino offers us five hundred dollars each night to play as many games as we can and earn our keep. At the end of the night we have to return the five hundred dollars plus ten percent of what we earned. This method draws in more customers and is at no risk to the casino because even if we have bad nights and end up with less than five hundred dollars we can still make up the money to the casino from our savings."

"But the relationship between you and your boss seems too casual to simply be one of employee and manager."

"Oh, are you jealous?"

"No, but I'd rather know if you have a girlfriend because she might misunderstand the relationship between us."

"Ultear and I aren't like that. We have a complicated and sometimes antagonistic relationship, but if I had to sum it up in one word, we are parents."

"In what sense of the word," Erza asked, because generally two people who are parents are in a romantic relationship.

"Five years ago, a girl named Meredy, covered in mud and blood and Dieu saitce qui,stumbled upon our doorstep. Only Ultear and I wanted to get involved with her. We rushed into the hospital, visited her every day, fought for the right to adopt her and spent so much time around one another that we probably drove each other half insane."

Jellal did not mention the part where they had a lapse of judgement and slept with each other. It had been a combination of loneliness and a feeling of shared experiences. But afterwards they realized it wouldn't work out. In Jellal the flame of Erza still lit his heart and Ultear still kept in her heart the ghost of Gray, her boyfriend who had died many years ago protecting her from an attack by his stalker.

"Oh and do you know where Hotel Lancaster is, my husband and I rented a room there," Erza informed him as she got into his car an expensive black Mercedes with heated seat cushions. Jellal was not considered the uncrowned poker king of cercle de gaillon for nothing.

"I am not taking you there," Jellal said, "You'll be staying at my place."

"But I thought you said nothing was going to happen," Erza stuttered.

Jellal once again suppressed the urge to grin at how cute Erza was when she was embarrassed and told her, "I do have two bedrooms. Ultear and I take turns hosting Meredy and this week is Ultear's turn. Soyou can have her bedroom. As for pajama's, I'll see if Ultear has some that would fit. You two seem to be around the same size."

"Why do you want me in your house so bad. Do you think you will get some kind of reward for housing me? Are you planning on peeping on me?"

"Non, non mon chérie, I do not hope for some kind of reward from you, it is simply that every house is brightened with a beautiful woman inside. And are you not irritated with your useless husband? What better way is there to get back at him than make him worry and then let him know you were here with me? His mind will endlessly loop around the possibilities and he will be eaten with envy."

Another half truth. Jellal was not sure whether he should be happy at how good with them he was getting. For he did want something from Erza just nothing physical. He wanted her love. He had basked in its glow seven years ago and when she had left him, it left his soul cold and frigid. And though love and poker was different, even Jellal inept with love as he was, understood that the odds of someone falling in love with you increased exponentially with how much time you spent with them.

"My husband is not useless he is…" Era rose to defended Simon but she could not recall the good qualities of the man she had married and ended lamely with, "nice."

"He is nice because most of the time he has no backbone to get in your way or anyone else's not nice because there is a genuine shred of kindness in him," Jellal refuted.

"You speak ill of a man you know little about."

"But it is true isn't it? You wanted Simon to defend you with something stronger than I'll play for double or nothing, you wanted him to make a clear statement that he loved you and that he wasn't just trying to salvage his ego," Jellal retorted.

Erza had nothing to say to that so Jellal took her silence as permission to drive her to his house.

In the car he whispered so quietly that she couldn't hear, "Had it been me, I would have sold my soul to keep you."

One day with Erza back, and the depths of Jellal's feelings for her were already scaring him.

A/N: Don't hate me for #A# killing Gray and #B# having Juvia do it. I love Juvia and have no problem with her in Fairy Tail, but in the real world stalkers are serious shit, and can mess up a person's mental state and social life to a great extent. Whimpers in the corner and closes eyes, expecting to be cast in the fires of hell by angry Juvia fans. Or possibly angry Gray fans. Or maybe both. If you haven't guessed by now, personal reasons aside, the fact that this is taking place in France really only serves the plot in one fashion, it gives Jellal a sexy French accent. So if I get something wrong I apologize. It is casinos and pokers in general I looked into, not anything French specific. The only thing I know about the casino I chose is it's name and location in Paris. Once again I am not cheap enough to make Simon the bad guy, though I am cheap enough to beg for reviews. * Author gets on knees and makes puppy dog eyes while wagging tongue, then gets up, brushes coat and pretends he never sacrificed his last shred of dignity for approval from strangers.*


	3. That morning

Jellal woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, no memory of what happened the night before and a naked Erza in his bed. Or at least that is what he dreamt happened. In reality he woke up alone and sexually frustrated. The fact that Era was in the room next to him, defenseless and in that form fitting shirt that Ultear had given her, awakened his raging lust.

Jellal cursed Ultear for giving Era a shirt that hugged all her curves drawing attention to every lascivious detail of Erza Scarlet. The witch was definitely doing this on purpose. She actually smirked at him as she handed the shirt to Era and then leaned over to whisper to him, "How do you like Erza's new shirt? Let's see you try to be a perfect gentleman now?"

Then he cursed Meredy, for not making the situation any better. He loved the girl like she was his own daughter but she had the habit of making situations more awkward at an astounding rate. The precocious eighteen year old had proceeded to demonstrate this talent spectacularly by asking if Jellal and Era were having sex(though she used the word fucking). Then she asked if there was something wrong with her father when Erza replied no. Meredy then decided to champion his cause by listing out his good qualities, such as gentle lover, good in bed, generous with money and some other things he did not feel like repeating. The humiliation stopped when Ultear stepped in to remind Meredy that she had to go to school, which set off the daily argument between the two of whether the senior year of high school was worth going to or not, especially since colleges had already received Meredy's applications. Ultear won the argument as she usually did with a liberal use of threats.

Jellal once again cursed Ultear for good measure. Then he dragged himself out of bed to take a cold shower. It was ten in the morning, which for Jellal, was unusually early to wake up. Generally it was impossible for his motor skills to function till twelve in the afternoon and even then it required a generous helping of coffee. When he got out of the shower with nothing but his boxers and an oversized t shirt on, Erza was outside the door, tapping her foot waiting for him, wearing that innocent sundress she had on yesterday. She began to speak to him, but most of her words lost to him a self conscious haze. He heard something about clothes before he coughed politely and said, "mon chérie, I would love to assist a lady as divine as yourself, but as you see, I am underdressed for the occasion."

Erza had the decency to blush as she noticed Jellal's near nudity. This reaction caused Jellal to laugh partly in amusement, partly in relief. So his body did affect her the same way hers affected him, she simply kept her gaze trained on his face. Well he could fix that. There were some excellent indoor pools open at this time of May and Jellal did not have asuch a bad figure if he did say so himself. He was slim, almost femininely so, but his body was pure muscle with not an ounce of fat to be seen. The tattoo he had paid for when he first got to Paris gave him a well dressed rogue image that he enhanced by tousling his hair and wearing only the best of white business suits because black was for thugs but only real bad boys wear white. Now he just had to show off the body he had spent years working on in a swim short. And Erza in a bikini…

His inner monologue was interrupted by Erza snapping her fingers in his face asking "Are you okay? Did you hear what I said?"

"Désolé mon chérie, I was simply gazing into your eyes to unravel the secrets of eternity and got lost."

She did not blush at Jellal's newest attempt at blatant flirting which Jellal found a shame; an embarrassed Erza was a cute Erza after all.

"As I was saying, I need to go back to Simon; he will be worried out of his mind. How much time is there before you go to work?"

"I should have until about five thirty; I need to reach work at six. But why would you waste your precious time with such a person? I promise if you come with me you will have much more fun."

"Simon is my husband, it would be wrong of me to worry him so for any longer. In fact it was wrong of me to allow you to take me to your home last night. I should apologize when I get back."

"Oh, so you think Simon will be worried, eh? Désolé for breaking it to you, but Simon will be angry and jealous but not really worried. Even if you tell him that you did nothing he won't believe you, because he is too weak. He believes himself a man but secretly fears he isn't. When you married him, you alleviated his fears, but this will bring them crashing back. Essentially, Simon does not see you as a person with loyalties and decisions all of your own, but as some kind of symbol of being a man, a trophy wife essentially."

"Once again you speak confidently of a man you barely know."

"We gamblers are like psychics, give us a deck of cards and play with us and we'll find many uncomfortable truths."

A/N: Chapters three and four were originally suppose to be one chapter but then it got too long. Re edited because Terumi Okino pointed out that I used the wrong word for sorry. Thank you very much.


	4. Confrontation at noon

Jellal's car pulled up in front of a grand hotel. The hotel Lancaster was a five star hotel with eight floors, forty three rooms and eleven suites. It was a haven for the rich elite costing two thousand dollars per day for a room for couples alone, never mind factoring in other expenses. It is located in the most fashionable area of Paris, the Golden Triangle with the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysées, Avenue Montaigne, Avenue George V and Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré where all luxury brands are settled.

Just by entering the place Jellal could tell he was outclassed. The marble tiles were squeaky clean, and Jellal could swear he saw his face in them. The rugs in the lounge and in front of the reception desk were so soft that it felt like Jellal was receiving furry kisses. The hotel staff were all serious and grim faced without any indication of surprise at how their guest left with one man and is now returning with another. Whoever Simon was, he ust be rich to afford all this.

"Hello, my name is Erza, my husband and I rented a superior suite. Here is my card, could you let me through?"

"Ah you are the one that went missing, no? You're husband was out of his mind looking for you."

Erza flashed Jellal a triumphant look and Jellal wondered if his instincts about Simon had been wrong.

"Could you allow this man through too? He is a friend of mine who was with me last night, and I need him to explain what happened to my husband."

The receptionist took one look at them and decided that a drunken tumble was probably the likely story behind what happened but he made no comment or showed any disapproval about it. He was only the receptionist; it was not his job to get involved in his customers personal lives.

He called a bell boy to lead them through the dining hall which had tastefully drawn plain line figures across the wall to the elevator made of stainless steel.

Jellal and Era entered her room where they saw Simon pacing up and down, about to explode into long bounding strides any minute.

"Where have you been?" Simon shouted at Erza. Jellal was interested to note that Simon's first reaction to Erza's reappearance had been anger not relief.

"I was staying over at Jellal's house for the night. It was late and…"

"The hotel is just three blocks away from the casino. How could you do this to me Erza? I expected better of you than to run off with the first man…"

"How could you believe that of me? Nothing happened. Nothing."

"How am I supposed to believe that? You brought him right here. Are you trying to flaunt your infidelity in front of me?"

"I brought him here to back my story up. Jellal you tell him that nothing happened between us."

"Oui monsieur, you have a jewel of a wife, who is surely a treasure to any man she is married too."

Somehow, instead of reassuring Simon, Jellal's words set him off further, and he let out a long stream of what was probably expletives in another language, that would have offended Jellal had he understood what they meant.

"Why are you so hung up over this," Erza shouted, very hurt by Simon's lack of trust. She had been ripped away from her love Gerard seven years ago, forced to move from the east coast to west coast by her family who disapproved of the relationship, and she chose Simon to please them. He was rich and well mannered and everyone approved. And though she did not love him, she chose to stay with him for seven years because she owed it to him for trying to cheer her up, for trying to be her ally when she felt she had none. He had been there for her, and though there was an element of selfishness to it he had been a genuinely good friend.

She continued with, "I mean, for all I know, you could have been the one cheating on me."

Erza threw this statement out as a king of hypothetical rebuttal, but as soon as she said it, a look of guilt passed through Simon's eyes, and Erza saw it.

Now Jellal did not know if he really cheated on Erza in a sexual way, perhaps it was a kiss, or maybe he just looked at another woman with lustful eyes, but the truth of the situation didn't matter. This was the final split in a relationship that had already been cracked.

Erza marched up to Simon and slapped him. The sound let out a loud **Crack, **in the silent room. She then turned to Jellal and ordered, "Jellal, take me home."

"How about this, you can take the keys to the car and drive yourself home. I assume you want some time to be alone? I will catch up later"

Jellal offered this because tears were already forming in the corner of Erza's eyes and he doubted she wanted him to see her cry. Erza seemed to understand this and gave Jellal a grateful nod before taking the keys and leaving.

Jellal turned to Simon and said, "Did that make you anymore of a man, driving away the woman whom you claim to love?"

Simon turned his anger at himself towards Jellal and yelled, "You it's all your fault, you're the one who split us apart!"

"Correction," Jellal refuted, "I gave you a choice; you're the one who made it."

"Why did this happen, I loved her, I really did."

"If you truly loved her, you would not have doubted her. It was having her close to you that really mattered. That is why you were such a doormat with her; you were trying to guilt her into staying with you because you are nice."

"What do you know about me?"

"I know that you are not half the man you claim to be. A marriage is a sacred contract sealed with a kiss in which the man provides love, trust, happiness, security and help. If you were a true man you would have provided all of these things. You would have listened to your wife before you decided such a big thing and you would have trusted her word. That is what it means to be a man. As it stands you are simply an ass. Actually, asses have a use, no you are the ass of an ass, truly the biggest and most useless fool to lose a prize like Erza," Jellal ranted at Simon.

Simon had had enough and he charged at Jellal but before he could Jellal drew a gun. Simon slowed down and cringed, expecting his life to end soon, but instead Jellal turned the gun towards his own head and shot. **Bang **went the gun, and Simon turned his head expecting to see blood all over the carpet but Jellal stood as fine as ever with smoke billowing through the room.

Jellal then outstretched his arm with the gun in it towards Simon and said, "This is the last time to prove you are worthy man. This gun has six barrels; one of them has a bullet. If you are willing to take the risk, we'll each alternate taking shots until one of us dies. I've already taken the first shot."

Simon stared at the smoking gun for a minute then slumped his shoulders in a symbol of submission. He would not risk his life for this.

"So you were willing to bet your entire savings and Erza in the double or nothing bet to prove yourself a man, but you are not willing to bet your life to get rid of an obstacle to Erza? I think you have proven my point quite succinctly."

As Jellal left the room, he turned back and said, "Oh yeah, and the gun wasn't even loaded. Erza would have never forgiven me if you died, for despite what has happened she doesn't hate you yet."

Simon sunk to his knees and began sobbing, wondering where it all went wrong. He had truly loved her at one point. Erza came into his life at a point where his parents were continually pressuring him to be a man.

"If you are a man, you shall ace this exam. If you are a man you shall do well in this sport. If you are a man you should learn how to run a business."

Simon was buckling under all of these requirements of what it meant to be a man, and then Era came along and everything was made clear. To be a man meant to make the sad woman with the straw hat and combat boots smile. And for a while both of them were happy. Then they began dating, and then got engaged and somewhere along the way it became about possessing Era. And so he sobbed, for his ruined relationship with Erza, his failure to live up to what it truly meant to be a man and the realization that he and Erza made better friends than lovers.

A/N: This is the last time you're going to see Simon. Did I do a good job writing him, or do you all think I suck? I told you he wasn't going to be the bad guy. Anyways, the well of inspiration have run dry for me. Which is not surprising because this is a romance and I suck hard at romances. Anyone have any suggestions? If not this story will probably float around for a while before I pick it back up.


	5. A blast to the Past

A/N: Thanks to Ashe Lite, Those two white kids, jerza0691 and everyone else who reviewed this story you really made my day.

Special thanks to Kathlinee for being the first reviewer and reviewing the most, your reviews really made my day. I would also like to thank Allah, for the idea to this story, for God is truly the greatest patron of the arts, without him we artists would not have our inspiration.

When Jellal returned home, he wasn't sure what to expect, but it sure wasn't Erza gorging herself silly on strawberry cake. But he then realized that of course breaking off her relationship with Simon was going to hurt even if she hadn't loved. They had spent seven years together and people don't spend that long together without forming any kind of attachment. But what could he do?

He decided to let his instinct take over and walked up to Erza and said, "You are in France and yet you are simply taking cake as comfort food? No, no, no that will never do. Fear not madam, I shall show you the pleasures of the French culinary experience. Would you like me to make you some soufflé?"

Jellal slipped on an apron, and began taking out the eggs he needed. He then prepared all the ingredients he needed for the soufflé. It was startling, Erza thought, the change in Jellal when he was cooking and how he was normally like. When he was cooking, there was a seriousness to him that wasn't normally there and Era wondered why it wasn't there more often. The normal outrageously flirty Jellal was fine but this side of him wasn't bad either. It kind of reminded her of her old boyfriend Gerard, who was always serious about everything he undertook, whether it was studying, chess or her, and come to think of it, he did like cooking too… But Era abandoned that thought because it was unfair to compare the two as they were two different people, or were they…Because they almost looked like the same person, if it weren't for the blue hair, red tattoo and white suit Jellal would look exactly like Gerard…

Meanwhile, Jellal too was thinking about the past as he beat the eggs and whipped them. He had learned to cook from his mother who had taught him after he begged her too when he was seven because he had entered that "I want to be as independent as possible" stage. After she divorced his father after his affairs with other women were exposed, as well as the fact he had two other kids Jellal's age, named Mystogan and Siegran, it had become a necessity for him, because he had ended up with his dad whose every attempt at cooking ended up a disaster at epic proportions (no joke, one of his creations created an explosion and Homeland security was involved because they thought it was a terrorist attack). And then he reached fourteen years of age, when he was old enough to realize his feelings for Erza, who had been his childhood friend for seven years. That is when he began to cook for her, at first little things like a box of friendship chocolates for Valentine's Day (Though she insisted it was her job to make chocolates for him, but he just waved her objections away). Then he cooked bigger and bigger things for her, until she was coming to his house for dinner because his home cooked meals were the best thing in the world.

But despite this, it wasn't until Prom that he managed to work up the courage to confess to her. It was an awkward and stuttering confession complete with tongue trips and a face as red as a clown's nose. Looking back, Jellal wondered why she even said yes. But yes she did say, and for a year they lived in bliss. Then her parents caught wind of the relationship and they disapproved strongly. They were from a well off family and her father managed to secure himself a position on the town council with high hopes of becoming treasurer while Jellal's father was the town drunk, lowest of the low on the social ladder.

They didn't force her to break up with him, but they mounted increasing pressure on her to keep up her grades and do well if they wanted to stay together. Then one day she just disappeared, like a mirage and Gerard wondered if Erza had just been a trick from a cruel god to destroy all happiness in his life.

He was thrown into despair and his grades plummeted. He also fought with his dad more regularly, until their confrontation got physical and his dad broke his arm. They didn't speak to each other after that. He lost his friends. He lost his job and turned to dangerous past times like street racing to pass the time. The complete and utter breakdown of life as he knew it was a vicious self enforcing cycle that all began and ended with Erza.

Then his half brothers, who had kept in contact with through Skype and Email, visited him and knocked some sense into him. They told him that if this is the way that he was going to act without Erza around then he didn't deserve her in the first place. They didn't offer him cheap sympathy like his other friends had but opened his eyes. They were right he decided. Erza had left because he was unworthy of her. He had to become a man who could stand by her side, who could care for her, protect her, and who would never be the cause of her tears. And Gerard would make himself that man.

And so Gerard had taken the last of his money and bought a one way ticket to Paris on an instinct that he could not understand. There he had gotten himself a tattoo and purged himself of the weak Gerard who could not keep Erza's love and turned himself into Jellal.

It was three in the afternoon now and the soufflé was done. Erza tasted it cautiously; just because Jellal had looked like he knew what he was doing didn't mean he actually did. To her surprise, it was light and airy like eating a cloud. This was Erza's first time eating a soufflé but even she knew this was extraordinary.

"I'm impressed," she said, "You'll be a great asset to any women who marries you."

Erza didn't know why the thought of him with another woman made her blood boil. He was a stranger wasn't he?

"What about you? Surely your cooking shall send any man who tastes it to heaven."

Jellal wish he could laugh at that little joke, but it was Gerard who knew that Erza was a bad cook, not Jellal.

"Well, technically that's true," Erza said, "But not in a good way. Simon once joked that my cooking was so atrocious that it could be used to minister capital punishment."

"Then why don't you marry me, and I'll make up for your deficiency in cooking," Jellal told her completely seriously.

He was serious Erza realized, and it both scared her and thrilled her. Before she hadn't taken his flirting all that seriously, she thought that he was just chasing after her like she was just some kind of prize. But why she thought, he had known her for only two days? But something in her blood sang for him, her bones recognized him and her heart wanted him. She knew this stranger in a way that she could not explain. But she felt, somehow if she allowed herself to fall for this stranger, she would betray Gerard. She had betrayed that sweet boy seven years ago, but she could not do so again. She needed to find him and make everything all right again.

And so she decided to parry his remark with, "By that logic you and Simon would make a great couple as well."

Jellal was too frustrated to come up with a reply to that. He just gave her a strained smile and sat with her in silence. Had all those seven years been a waste? Was he still not good enough?

Erza could not bear the awkward silence that ensued so she asked him, "So where did you learn to cook like that?"

"My mom taught me to cook when I was young. I got plenty of practice after she left my dad because of a complicated situation. I also cooked for my girlfriend."

"Really, what happened to you two? It's okay if you don't want to share something so private."

"No, no it is fine. I want to share the story with you. She disappeared seven years ago without explaining why. I assume it was because she wasn't satisfied with me. That is why I ended up in Paris because I wanted to remake myself into a worthy man."

Jellal wasn't sure exactly why he shouldn't tell Erza but perhaps though his conscious mind refused to believe it, his subconscious mind understood that Erza had truly loved Gerard and that if Jellal revealed himself to be Gerard she would forever look for trace of a person who had died when she left and would tear herself apart with guilt over it. Until Erza fell in love with Jellal as he was now, Gerard had to stay a ghost of the past.

"Maybe," Erza said, "she left because she had no choice because her family was moving across the country and she didn't want to say anything because her family had tripped her of all means of communication and because even if she could say anything it would be impossible for her to tell hi- I mean you goodbye and if she met you again she'd show you how sorry she was and how much she regretted it."

"Perhaps," said Jellal, "the wheel of time has spun and I have changed, and if we meet again, we will no longer be able to click together the same way as before."

Neither of them was stupid enough to believe the other was speaking in the hypothetical, but neither of them was ready to face the implications, so both of them agreed to leave the Pandora Box alone.

A/N: What. The. Hell. Did. I. Just. Write. No I'm serious I was going in a different direction with this then Allah just came in and was all like you know that story you were writing man, here's how its going to go from now on, you're welcome. And after reading it all together I just realized, holy crap it reads a lot like the Great Gatsby. I did not plan that.


	6. Thirty days

Jellal wondered if god was sitting high on his mighty throne in heaven laughing down at him. He could just imagine the big man going, "You see that boy Jellal over there? Let's reintroduce him to the love of his life again, except she's now married."

"Oh he's already solved that; let's now complicate the situation even further. She's actually in love with him, but doesn't know that the man she fell in love with seven years ago is the man he is now. And let's make it o that Jellal can't tell her, or else he'd ruin any chance of a happy ending with her. And let's make Erza perceptive enough to notice similarities between the boy she knew and the man she meets. Ho ho ho, this is better than any soap opera I've ever seen; let's see if Santa and my homies, Jesus and Moses would appreciate this."

But though the situation was getting complicated the solution was simple; make Erza fall in love with him. But how to do that?

Then Jellal noticed the time. Shit! It was almost time for work. He had to go. He slipped on his black leather jacket and his Durango biker boots. They were a gift from Ultear who in one of her rare moments of generosity, bought these for him because she thought they'd "look good on him". Of course she'd destroyed that touching moment by insisting that Jellal owed her a favor but then again, what else should he have expected from Ultear? Though he supposed that since she's never actually called on the favor it was another attempt by that awkward woman to hide the fact that she could, gasp, be nice.

He called for Erza because though the whole Lady Luck thing was an excuse, he needed it or else Erza would suspect that something was up. When she came Jellal was speechless. She was wearing a scarlet dress with a plunging neckline that showed almost a little too much skin. He silently swore to murder any man whose eyes wandered lower than her face.

"Let's roll, mon Chérie."

Together they got in the car and drove off to the casino.

Jellal, took a deep breath as he greeted the security and entered the casino. The strobe lights flashed hypnotically and the golden décor gleamed invitingly. He felt as if he was entering a palace of dreams where everyone was invited. There was a dangerous energy here that thrilled him and made him feel alive. It made him feel that he could anything he wanted, the world even, if he were willing to risk it.

Erza did not like this place though. The strobe lights were harsh and blinding. The golden décor gave her a harsh glare. It seemed like a honeyed flytrap, this place, keyed to offer you your wildest dreams then snatch them all away. He could see the broken glass all over the floor, remains of cups that customers dropped, the shattered pieces of their dreams, as they realized how much they've lost. People paid money here to lose it, and even when they've won they've lost and keep losing until they have no more to lose. For in the end the only real winner is the casino.

Jellal found another newlywed couple and went in for the kill. He dragged Erza in along with him and began the whole spiel again.

"Hello Mon señor, how are you and your lovely femme? It is a fine evening no? Would you care for a game of cards to celebrate this special occasion?"

Erza could only watch in horror as the scene she saw last night repeating itself. How could she have forgotten already the kind of man Jellal was? He was a gambler; he made his living off breaking the dreams of others and collecting them to make his own come true, the only kind of person whose fortune came off the misfortune of others.

She opened her mouth to warn the couple of Jellal's true nature. When Jellal saw what she was about to do, he said, "Excuse me monsieur, it seems ma femme is not feeling well. Perhaps some other time?"

The couple nodded, irritated at having their time wasted but willing to let it slide without comment nonetheless. Jellal steered her to the quietest corner of the casino and hissed at her, "What are you doing? You cost me quite a bit of money."

"I couldn't let you swindle the savings of another couple. I don't approve of what you do."

"What did you expect, when you agreed to this? People smiling as I crushed them underfoot? Don't feel too bad for them, they chose to play against me."

"Well they didn't know the truth. If they did they surely wouldn't have played you."

"SO it's okay if they know the truth and still want to play me?"

Erza wanted to open her mouth to say that he was missing the point but instead sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do this. It goes against my moral code. I apologize if I was a bothersome guest. I'll call my family to see if they have the money to pay off what I owe you and to get me home. I need to go."

But before she could go, Jellal grabbed her hand, soft and white as the moon. He pulled her into a big crushing hug. How could he make her understand how much he needed her? In that moment, words were as meaningless to him as the jargon of a professional doctor. He stroked his hand through the scarlet satin that was her hair.

Erza liked how gentle his hands were, as if he were gathering the rays of sunset into his hand. Whenever Simon had touched her hair it was to grab a fistful of it as he pulled her into a rough sloppy kiss.

In a hoarse voice he croaked, "Don't leave me, without you I'll be lost. You don't have to come to the casino with me, just stay."

She was taken aback by his desperation but a little touched and a little afraid of it as well. She looked into his eyes and knew if she left, something in him would break.

"Why," she asked, "are you going so far for me?"

"You are a cruel madam. Haven't I made the answer clear?"

"You've known me for only two days and besides, I still love Gerard. How could I betray him with another man? Especially after I've betrayed him once?"

"Is he such a cruel man that he would begrudge you happiness if you found it with another?"

"No, but that is why I love him so. There is not a selfish bone in his body."

Give me a chance too. Live with me for thirty days. In that time I can make you fall in love with me."

Erza paused to consider his offer. Their recent argument over gambling had diminished her opinion of him, but she didn't believe he was a bad person deep down. Maybe if she stayed she could do a good deed and reform him. And finding Gerard could wait a month couldn't it? And finally, by the time the month ended, perhaps Erza could convince Jellal to abandon the idea of a romantic relationship with her and they could be good friends. She ignored a little part of her that said that if she accepted this offer she really would fall in love with him, and that Jellal and Gerard were too similar in the areas it really counted.

"Okay," she nodded, "I accept."

"Alright, wait here, I've got to see Ultear about taking a month off."

As he walked towards the manager' door, Jellal had another thing to think about. How could he have not realized that Erza would disapprove of his job? She had the strongest sense of morality and justice of anyone he knew. But he could not quit. It wasn't even a matter of finding a new job or skill set. This was a matter of honor. It was Zeref, the owner of the casino, who found him wandering the streets of Paris, lost, alone and broken. It was Zeref who taught him poker and it was Zeref and the casino staff who helped him rebuild himself piece by piece from the shattered remains of Gerard. To walk away from them now would be like rewading their kindness with a slap on the face.

When he reached the office and asked, "Can I have a month off," with such a troubled face, Ultear noticed and narrowed her eyes.

"What is the matter?" she asks and Jellal nearly gives a harsh bark. He must really look pathetic if even Ultear decides to sheathe her claws. Usually she would be giving him hell for his proposal.

Silently Jellal wondered how sad his life must be that he was jealous with himself from the past. If only he could have stayed Erza's innocent always smiling innocent Gerard after his life fell apart all those years ago. If only he could have believed she was coming back and left a place open for her. But if he had, she likely would have stayed with Simon, for it was only this Jellal who was bold enough to challenge her love for Simon, who was lucky enough to meet her again. He cursed and decided that while his mother luck loved him, her sister Destiny must truly want to screw him over.

"It seems Erza does not approve of casinos," Jellal said drily, "and I only have a month with her left."

Ultear cocked her head to him at an angle as if listening for something, then said, "You know Jellal, do you know why Zeref gathered us all her eat this place, me, Wally, Shou and everyone else? It was because we had nowhere else to go, no one else we could truly rely on. But that wasn't really the case for you is it? You had half brothers who still check in time to time, a family that cares. And you have the woman you love in your life back. So you, unlike us, don't really need this place any more. None of us will hold it against you if you decide to leave."

Jellal could tell that Ultear was trying to lessen the burden of guilt he'd feel if he left to pursue a relationhip wih Erza, but Jellal wasn't prepared to give up everything in his life for her, he had a duty to the people here, and he meant to fulfill it. He might drop having a permanent job as a card shark but he'd probably still drop by.

"Who are you and what have you done to the real Ultear? It doesn't matter if you forgive me Ultear, I'd never forgive myself. I'll figure something out. Getting an honest job doesn't mean I'll have to cut all ties to this place. And thank you for giving me a month."

"Oh it's not free," Ultear said smiling deviously, "when you have your first baby girl, name it Ultear for me, and if it is a boy, name him Gray."

Her smile had changed to a sad one with that and he knew that Ultear in her own way, had wished him happiness with Erza. He could only smile at that. Despite her harsh demeanor, she was always looking out for all of us.

As he left her office, he told her, "If nothing else, we will always have Meredy bonding us together, so don't go off getting rid of me that easily."

That night he drove with a sense of purpose; he would rekindle his relationship with Erza and make her fall in love with him in thirty days.

A/N: Because somehow I don't think Erza would approve of gambling and I have to earn that drama tag somehow dammit. Now though, I am lost as you guys are on where this is going next. This was suppose to be seven chapters showing how to do a three day relationship right, now it has reached six chapters with no ending in sight. I suppose there will be a date tomorrow with shameless Jerza fluff, because all the past chapters have been so heavy. Sorry if what little quality I have is dropping


	7. Before the First Date

A/N: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I know it has been over a week since you've guys last heard from me. At first this was because I had several massive tests around the corner but later it became a matter of what I like to call the inertia theory of writing; the longer you have been away from the story the greater the effort of will it requires to get back into it. I hope you all aren;t disappointed by the short chapter. This is just to help me get back into the swing of things (hopefully). I apologize if you are turned off by the pacing of the story, though if dialogue heavy, slow moving plots aren't your thing I congratulate you on coming so far. Once again thanks to everyone who reviewed, if I were a true author I'd send private messages overflowing with thanks but I hope a blanket thank you here will have to do.

Jellal woke up that morning with a splitting- wait hadn't he had this dream already? No, instead, Jellal woke up with a hyperactive Meredy on his chest.

Wait, that didn't sound right. He shot straight up in surprise,

"Hey sleepyhead, did you catch your beauty sleep?"

"What are you doing here?" Jellal asked her.

"You promised me that you'd take me to that new movie coming out, don't you remember?"

Jellal sighed. Meredy was a huge fan of horror movies with lots of blood and gore. Ultear would never take Meredy to watch them so she bugged him until he gave in. Before even a teensy bit of horror was enough for him to faint, now he could watch people being dismembered without blinking. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"You know, you have a part time job and a license already, why don't you just buy a car?"

"You know Ultear wouldn't let me do that and besides its always fun spending time with you. Oh and just so you know I accidentally ordered three tickets. You can bring that Elsa chick along too."

"Its Erza you know, and what makes you think I need you to hook her up with me?"

"I've seen the way you look at her. Don't tell me you're just friends or something clichéd like that."

"I do want her, but I am perfectly adept at getting a girl for myself you know."

"Please, if I left it up to you, I would be an old woman before anything happened."

"Why am I even arguing about this with you?"

"Just accept the tickets Jellal. Think of this as a date. You're lucky you know. The two of you are the only heterosexual couple I ship. Would you rather I actively try to sabotage this relationship for a Jeref ending?"

"You know, hasn't it ever occurred to you that its creepy to ship me with my boss and that employee and employer relationships rarely workout? I am not some character from those mangas you read dammit!"

"Stop trying to dance around the subject Jelly."

"Fine but I'll pay for our purchases in the theater and I'll pay for those tickets too. It would be pathetic if I let my step daughter finance any part of my date."

At that moment Erza chose to walk in. She had just woken up and remembered that her parents had no idea what happened to her. She needed to call them and tell them what happened. She was here to ask him if she could use hi cellphone but the scene she saw before her stopped her dead in her tracks.

Meredy was bouncing on top of Jellal in an indecent manner and Erza wondered those two just have a father and daughter relationship, right?

Then Meredy noticed her and jumped off of Jellal and exclaimed, "Hey Erza. Could you do me a favor? Jellal was going to go with me and a friend to watch a movie but my friend canceled on me and I'd hate for this ticket to go to waste. Would you come with me?"

Except with Meredy it was less that she said the sentence then she exhaled in one breath. Erza managed to understand what she was saying though, courtesy of a certain pink haired idiot from her childhood who was a bundle of pure unadulterated energy, always several steps ahead of himself.

"Well, it depends on the movie; I'm not too good with horror…"

Meredy just gave Erza her best puppy eyed stare and Erza could not help but feel her heartstrings tighten and her defenses fall down. It was just like strawberry cake; you didn't say no. And besides, Jellal was there, it couldn't be anything too bad, right?


	8. The confession

Wrong, Erza thought, as she held in a scream at yet another decapitation and snuggled closer to Jellal. Her hands were already gripping his arms tightly, her nails almost drawing blood and her head was buried in his shoulder. She had never figured that he would allow Meredy to watch movies like this. It was yet another thing about him that she had guessed was wrong. He surprised her at every turn.

She was against leaning on Jellal like this because she was an independent woman and she needed to start acting like one. If she let him spoil her like this then he'd get the wrong idea and confess which would totally ruin the friendship they had built up. She just didn't think of him that way. It was Gerard whom she loved.

_Liar_, a little voice in her head said, _Gerard is in your past. You need to move want him so go for him._

_With Jellal? I barely know him!_ She argued with herself.

_Well you knew Simon for seven years and that didn't work out so well did it?_

_That's different, we weren't…_

_Anyways, it isn't like you have to marry the guy. Just give him a chance. I'm pretty sure he's good in the sac._

Erza nearly choked on her popcorn. She knew it wasn't a good sign when you heard voices in your head and lost an argument to them. Jellal looked at her in concern.

"Are you alright? Do you need anything?" The worry in his eyes was genuine and she melted into their maroon depths. Of course it didn't help that he had been running his hands along her back after she started coughing to help get the popcorn out and hadn't stopped. The feeling of his hand through her clothes made her skin crackle with anticipation; it felt warm and reassuring.

As for Jellal, Erza's presence so close to him had long since tuned the movie out of his mind and he was now sensitized to her every move. He could feel the rise and fall of her breath tickle his neck and he could feel his urge to stroke more than her back grow. He reined it in and tried to concentrate on the movie. He should have known this was going to be trouble the moment Meredy ushered Erza out of the house in a form fitting violet dress that properly accentuated all her curves but Meredy barely gave him time to think. But he couldn't find the energy to care about that as the smell of shampoo and strawberries and other feminine scents that combined to form Erza invaded his nostrils.

Then whether by accident or subconscious design, Erza's face slipped of the pillow of his shoulder and he ended up catching her. As he pulled her up, their faces moved closer together, and Jellal felt the weight of seven years of loneliness move his impel his lips closer to hers, until they touched in a kiss. Jellal slipped his tongue in gently and probed Erza's lips for a reaction. She returned the kiss with equal passion and their tongues danced around in a barely restrained tune of control and testing the boundaries.

And so it was in the midst of a crowded movie theatre while limbs were flying in all directions that Jellal had his first kiss with Erza, a far cry from the private one he had planned out over a romantic dinner.

It was sweet and mind numbing and heavenly and a thousand times better than he had imagined it, but it wasn't enough for Jellal. He wanted much more than this; he had not yet shown Erza everything. But before he could turn up the heat, Erza broke the kiss.

At that moment Jellal knew he had a choice to make. He could play it off, and apologize for the kiss. It would place him firmly in the friend zone, but it was possible that he could rebuild a romantic relationship in the future. Or he could confess here. A proper confession that would make his feelings explicit, because it doesn't seem that she is taking his almost blatant admittance that he is in love with her yesterday all that seriously.

And so when Erza removed her lips from his, he looked her in the eye and said, "I love you Erza. Will you go out with me?"

Erza opened her mouth confused and horribly unsure of what to say. "Jellal… I… But we… It's not like I don't want to…"

Jellal felt deflated at her uncertainty, but a small spark of hope flared at her lack of a definitive response. She may not have said yes but she hadn't said no either.

"You don't have to answer my confession now you know. You still have the full thirty days to mull over it," he said, "Don't worry I won't press you for an answer until you are ready.

And for the rest of the day, Meredy had an insufferably smug smile plastered across her face. Operation Jerza had begun smoothly.

A/N: Here's my next update! I finally have an idea on how I want the story to end though no clue what comes in between. Don't be afraid to tell me my story sucks straight to my face. I do keep criticism in mind when I write and when someone points something out to me I don't disregard it, just turn it over in my mind to think about it before ultimately accepting that yes I need to make a change or no, things are fine the way they are.


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